Improvement in railroad-car heating and ventilating apparatus



of a car containing my improvements.

UNITED STATES PATENT EEICE.v

SAMUEL DARLING, OF BANGOR, MAINE,

IMPROVEMENT IN RAILROAD-CAR HEATING A NDVENIILATING' APPARATUS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent Nuit-)#149, dated June 30,13%.

To all whom 'it may contactm-v Be it known' that LSAMUELDARLING, of Bangor, in the Statefot' Maine, .have invented certain Improvements in- Means forleating 4and Ventilating aRailroad-Gars, &c.; and 'l d o l skilled in the art to practice it.

`My invention relates to means for heating and Ventilating railroad-cars, `apartments,buildings, 8vo.; and it consists in combining with pipes which convey the heating or'ventilating fluid an automatic fan-blower to impel the fluid through the pipes; in the combination, with the smoke-pipe of the stove or furnace, of a fanblower and-crank for the purpose of intensity ing the draftin making or revivifying the fire;

in such a construction ot the stove as will cause the iire to be put out by the upsetting or severe tilting of the carsin case ofconcussion,

overturning, or similar 'accidents occurring to the train; `and in such a construction ofthe smokepipe as will automatically close it when the carovertnrns, and also in eertaindetails. My plan, as hereinafter described and illustra-ted, is adaptable either for heating by hot air or `hot water, and for Ventilating. v

Figure 1 represents a longitudinal section Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same. Fig'. 3 represents my improvements in tbestove and its attachments upon .a larger scale; Fig. 4, a vertical section of the same.v i

Like letters refer to the same parts in the different gures. y t v I shall trst describe the construction and operation of my improvements when used for heating railroad-cars with'hot-air, which I consider preferable' to hot water. Y

A represents the body of the car; B, a stove of any ordinary construction in its main fea# tures, but having certain peculiarities, hereinafter described; U, a safety-casing surround` ing the same, and which I pre-fer to make of strong. boiler-iron that it may the better withstand severe blows and shocks withoutliability to fracture in case of accidents, and when desirable I surround" it with an outer jacket of wood. The stove andonter casing both have a-closetting door capable of being kept tightly closed in any ordinary manner, the

ofthe car'. By this door oEthe's-tove or partsbeneath tho grate having orifices sufficient topermitair to en.- ter to make and regulatcfthe draft.

Above the tire-chamberfof the stove is se cured a closed chamberor heater. D, (which forms a part of the air-passage,) of lesssize or diameter than -thesto\e, and into opposite sides of which enters the heat-conveying-pipe E. (()oled pipe may be used within the stove-in-l stead ot' the chamber D.) The pipe E passes from this chamber downward within the space between the stove and its casing, thence taking a circuit orroute around, but within the car and near thefloor, or, preferably, sunk about flush therewith,'and finally returning` to and' beneath thestove-casing, and then rising and again connecting with the chamber. This pipe may at-cach seat ,provided for passengers take a course in line with and in front of the seat, thus having a tortuousy or zigzag path, and so aii'ord av ready means for warming the feet of passengers, while whatever route it may -take it will always, when laid on or near the floor, heat the lowestzor coldest stratum of air. Two parallel pipes, if desired, may be laid all around the car, one passing under the feet of each occupant of the usual double seats. l

In order to insure a continuons circulation of the heated air through the pipes, I connectA with the pipe at aconvcnient point above' either ofthe axles ot' the car a chamber, Gr. This chamber forms a part of the 4air-passage, that part of the pipe which delivers to it entering at the center ot' the chamber, and that part which conveys from it-connecting at its periphery. Withinthis chamber is centrally lo' cated a fan-wheel, H, whose shaft, descending through and beneath the car, has a ruiter-wheel Secured thereon, and this wheelis driven bya corresponding wheel upon the ordinary axle to the is imparted fan-wheel, which thus impels the hot air forward .and insures a steadyA` circulation.4 Motion may preferably be. given to this fan-blower by means of a wind-wheel made to revolve by the resistance :of the air when the car is in motion. It may also be arranged with a hand-crank, so that the air can be circulated thronghthe pipes when the car is at rest (ora separate blower may be provided for that. purpose) in case the car cannot be heated by opening the door'bf the outcr casing of the stove.

means a positive motion may be forced from its seat.

Where the heating-pipes do not extend a long distance it is preferable to heat by hot air. Water may be used to better advantage when great length of pipe is to be heated, as it will contain more heat and conduct it. more rapidly to the pipe. The water may be made to circulate at the rate of about one hundred feet per minute; but when air is used it may circulate at the rate ofone thousand feet per minute, more or less, according to circumstances.y

When airis usrd in the heatingpipes the pipes may be made of tin and should not be air-tight. When water is used the pipes and blowerchamber must be water-tightand have a perpendicular reservoir-pipe of any kind (and hence not needing to be described) as high as o an)- part of the horizontal pipe, that 'the pipes may always be kept full. This reservoir-pipe may be attached to the fan-wheel chamber'- surrounding thc'fan-wheel shaft, which shaft shouldextend aboveinstead of below the chamber to prevent leakagearound the shaft.-

Beneath the grating of the stove (which may be adapted for burning either wood or coal, as desired) I leavea space orchan1bcr,l,tilled with ashes or some other good non-conductor, and beneath this a water-chamber, K, to be filled with water in any convenient manner. The nonconducting chamber has in its center a deep conical opening or passage, L, which connects the fire-chamber above'it with the cham` ber: K. An iron hall, M, deposited loosely in this opening, serves to close it, except when by.

an oversettiiig or extreme tilting of the car it A cover, m, is placed over this opening, secured in any manner sufficiently to hold its position except when the balls may force it away. From the top of this stove the smokepipe N passes, and it is .to be continued out through the'roof in the usual manner in order to discharge the gases and volatile products of combustion.4 I add, however, some new and vimportant features. The pipe 'at its junction with the stove-top is made in the form of a truncated cone, O, and the stove at the base of this cone is perforated, as shown, and within this conical chamber I place a metal ball, P, which, when the car is in its normal condition, performs no duty and offers little, if any, obstruction gto the proper draft and to the escape of gas, 85e.; but when the car or stove is overturned the ball rolls into the smaller end of the conical p'ortionof the pipe and closes the passage, thus stopping the draft and preventing the escape ot' fire, the pipe above this point-that is, above the outer casing-being made ofordinary strength only, so that any break or fracture in the pipe shall be likely to occur above this ball-valve and outside ofthe casing.

For the purpose ofsupplyiug air more plentifully to the stove an opening may be made in' the bottom of the car, admitting the air between the stove and its outer casing.

In the stove-pipe itself, and above the top of the outer casing, I introduce a revolving fanblower, Q, to be driven by a hand-crank, R, as shown. The objectand function of this blowerv is to create a strong draft for kindling and quickly reviving the fire when the car is at rest.

In the methods above described for heating the pipes which convey the heating-fluid the' pipes are endless, the same air or water continuing to revolve around through the pipes; but the pipes may be heated with or Without the use ofthe blower by the following method, viz: The air is forced by the motion of the car through thel pipe S, communicating with an inlet-box,U,similartotheb0xW,abovedescribed, into the chamber D, where it becomes heated,

,and thence tlows through the pipe E and is delivered within the car by means of registers, y as shown at T, which may be located in any part ofthe car desirable. l insert a wire-gauze within suchregisters and beneath the openings or perforations to prevent dust andcinders passing from the pipe in the car.

The inlet-box U may be located where it is found the least amountl of dust, & c., lwill be admitted, aud'should be prefrablyprotected by wire-gauze. These inlets areconstructed with a swinging door,'whichwill close one opening and open.v the otliercorresponding with y the direction in which the car is moving.-

In order to introduce fresh air into the car for the purpose of ventilation, I employ a pipe. V, communicatingwith inlet-box W, located outside of the car and similar-in construction tothebox U ,abovedescribed. Such boxshould have a wire-gauze over the mouth otvits pipe to prevent the entrance therein ofdust, cin ders, &c.

The tube V, I prefer should descend to thel 'floor of vthe car, and then ascend between the stove and its outer casing and rise abpve the top of this casing, so that the air therein shall` be warmed before it is discharged into the car4 from its open end X.

' I claim- Y ,1. In combination 4with an endless pipefor conveying a heated fluid, a blower operated, substantially as described, 'to cause a continuous circulation of the fluid in the pipe.

2. The combination, in a stove or furnace and beneath the tire-chamber, ofa'water-vessel and an intermediate nonconducting chamber having a hall-valve or its equivalent, substantially as and for the purpose described.

3. Thecombination, with the smoke-pipe,-ofa conical chamber and a'ball-val've or its equivalent, substantially as and for the purpose de- Y scribed. *l SAMUEL 'DARLINQ Witnesses:

J oHN E. BL, ALBERT W. PAINE. 

